Ellsworth Home Services Blog

For most Americans, purchasing a home is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and generally the largest investment a person, couple or family will ever make. Caring for your home can be a challenging yet satisfying experience. It’s a never-ending honey-do list filled with everyday jobs, seasonal chores and yearly projects. It’s ironic that the one aspect of home maintenance with the highest visibility is often the single most overlooked project on the long-term list – exterior painting.

There’s no doubt that having a professionally painted home increases curb appeal and makes a positive statement in pride of ownership. After all, the color of your home and the quality of the paint job are the first things people notice when they drive up to your house. Painting is especially crucial in Arizona because the harsh temperatures and intense weather conditions are brutal on exterior surfaces. Here are compelling reasons to protect your largest asset by having your home professionally painted.

Weather – You Like It or Not

Springtime in Arizona is heavenly with weather as near perfect as weather can be. People from all over the United States flock to Phoenix for the winter season. However, as March turns into April and May gives way to June, the unforgiving sun reminds us we live in a desert, and it’s known as the Valley of the Sun for a very good reason. Summer in Phoenix is a sweltering pot boiler. Soaring triple digit temperatures, unforgiving UV rays, heavy humidity and monsoons complete with dust storms and frightening thunder and lightning. It’s enough to make your house wilt. Intense UV rays degrade the exterior finishes on your house. That’s why you see so many faded buildings and discolored homes when driving around Phoenix neighborhoods. Though the national average for exterior painting is once every 8 to 10 years, in Arizona it is recommended to paint once every five to seven years. Southern exposures are particularly susceptible to sun damage.

Summer Humidity and Storms

Paint and moisture are not a good mix. Summer storms and humidity cause problems with paint jobs, especially on surfaces which were not prepared properly in the first place. Water in the surface under the paint causes poor adhesion and bubbling. Wind storms and blowing sand are another example of weather extremes that are tough on surfaces.

When’s the Best Time to Paint?

The ideal climate for golf also happens to be the perfect weather for exterior home painting. In golf, if you’re shooting in the low 60’s to the mid 80’s, you’re doing just fine. The same is true for temperatures when you paint the exterior of your home – low 60’s to mid-80’s are ideal. Now is the perfect time to have a painting professional from Ellsworth give your house a full inspection and let you know your options for returning your home to its perfect color.